


Windows to the Soul

by Book_goddessforlife98



Series: Complete Collection of Shadowgast [3]
Category: Critical Role
Genre: Aftermath of Possession, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caleb’s Backstory, Conditioning, Cults, Eyes, Eyes Are The Window To The Soul, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Love, M/M, Mind Control, Modern AU, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Possession, Psychological Torture, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rescue, Scourgers, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Torture, alternate universe modern setting, caleb is consecured, star crossed lovers, trent Ikithon is an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2020-11-23 08:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_goddessforlife98/pseuds/Book_goddessforlife98
Summary: It’s been 25 years since Essek lost his husband. A soul lost along with one of the beacons. Their newest prisoner is familiar to him. He looks into his eyes and sees a sea of emotions. And something so familiar he can’t place it.Caleb has felt like some part of him was missing. When he found the missing beacon it brought him a step closer. He hide it from his superiors trying to find out more. He is captured and held captive by his enemies. One of whom feels familiarA modern Au





	1. Essek: I see your soul

Essek watched the Scourger from behind the two way mirror, he had taken a heavy beating. That tended to happen when you went toe to toe with Yasha. He was seated in the middle of the room, kneeling, chained in place his arms chained bend his back, he had an anti magic collar on. That rendered him mute. He was meditating, Essek assumed that’s what he was doing, eyes closed head bowed. Not much else to do in an empty room that one was chained up in. He had been stripped of anything that could be used for spells. They had learned from last time they held one of his kind captive not to give them access to anything. Like the last one he was young not that Essek could tell human age that well, the same scars littered his arms. It was from the information they had gathered was part of initiation into the cult. His red hair covered part of his face. Essek had always been fascinated with humans that had a starry night sky face full of freckles. Unusually hair colors, through Beau told him red was natural for some humans. He didn’t really believe her until they brought this Scourger in. The name given to members of the Cerberus cult who had a high ranking. Who had become ghosts. Essek was turning the ring on the chain. His husband’s ring. He had died 25 years ago and his soul was lost along with the beacon, he had been recovering it after it had been stolen by high priest Ikithon. A way for him to try and further spread his ideologies. 

“You want to talk To him?” Beau asked, interrupting his thoughts. 

“and what use would that be? The last one we brought in cut off her own tongue,” 

”you want to find the one responsible for your loved ones death, he may know who killed him. They need to be stopped, they’ve prevented your peoples’ religion,” 

”he may have killed him,” He looked at her. 

“no. He’s as old as me,” she said. “Was just a baby when your husband died,” she said “you forget we don’t age like you do?”

“I won’t find the ones specifically responsible for his death,” he said. There was something familiar about this man, Essek couldn’t place it. 

“You might,” she said. “ they would brag about it with in the cult,” she said “Let’s go talk to him see if we can get anything out of him,” she said. Yasha let them into the room.

”careful. We still do not yet know what he is capable of,” she said. she stood by the door watching. They walk into the interrogation room, the man didn’t acknowledge them. Beau nudged him with her toe. 

“Hey,” she said “look at us,” he made no effort to move. His hair fell in a curtain around his face. 

“Help us and maybe we can help you,” Essek said. “We can lessen your sentence. Surely you do not want to die?” The man looked up at them. His eyes met Essek’s, the eyes were the window to the soul. They told a story, these deep blue eyes were no exemption. But what was strange was that when Essek looked into them he saw two things. The first was a swirl of chaos; fear, lies, pain, confusion, conflict. The second was familiarity. Though Essek knew for a fact that he had never seen this man before.

_“Peoples’ eyes always tell the truth,” Aldor said “they show you people’s stories. They show you their emotions. It is the window to the soul,” Essek nodded staring into the deep indigo eyes of his husband._

_“What do my eyes say?”_

_”you are afraid for me,” _

_“this mission is dangerous,”_

_”I know, but it has to be done. They stole something scared from us, and there are people who won’t see their loved ones again,” he said. “How would you feel if you never got to see me again?”_

_”we....I would miss you,”_

_”the beacons are important, they’re apart of us, our people. Our religion and our cycle of life,” _

“just please be careful,” 

Essek knelt down, he reached forward his hands going around the collar. Undoing the mechanism.

”do not make me regret this,” he said. The blue eyes now look confused by this kindness. 

“Essek what are you doing?” Beau asked. 

“He is afraid of us,” He looked back at the man. “Can you tell us your name?”

He is silent at first. “I do not have one,” he said. He has a thick accent, that weights heavy on his tongue. “Or rather I do not remember the one given to me,” his eyes shimmer with a half truth. He doesn’t remember, names are important and his was stripped from him, to strip him of his identity. But he has one, Essek just knows. He’s been around long enough to know. He thinks he’s given himself a new name. One that’s his own.

“what do they call you then?”

”many names,” he said. “Inferno. Scorch. Helios, Widomaker, the red dragon,” he said. “Vollstrecker,” he looks away when he lists them. He is ashamed of them. He holds back something else. The name he gave him self Essek thinks.

“You have another name?”

”yes,” 

“Will you give it to me?” 

“No,” he says. He is afraid he will be stripped of it like the last one, Essek moves onto the next question. 

”who do you report too,” Essek asks. The blue eyes look back into his. Even though he already knows this man answers to high priest Ikithon. 

“classified,” The eyes show fear, he knows but he is afraid of them. He is more afraid of this person then he is of his captors.

“how many of there are you?”

”classified,” Essek studies him, he doesn’t actually know. And who would in a cult that big? In a group that wasn’t just a cult anymore, but a terrorist group. 

“where is the beacon?”

”I don’t know,” he said. His eyes betray him. He knows where it is. 

“Does your boss have the beacon?”

”Nein,” he says shaking his head. The truth. He suddenly tenses up, his eyes dart down to the floor. His hair falls in front of his face again. 

“Essek, he isn’t going to tell us anything useful,” Beau said. Essek stood up turning his back to the man. 

“I can get through to him,” he said. 

“You can’t,” 

“He is different,” he said. 

”put the collar back on him. We will let someone else decide his fate. He can rot in jail until they execute him,” she said. Essek clasped the collar back around the man’s neck. Rendering him mute once more. His eyes stare into Essek’s eyes. 

“I am sorry. But if you won’t cooperate we can’t help you,” he said. Standing up he exits the room with Beau and Yasha. 

_______

Caleb hears Trent’s voice in his head. 

_I thought we went over this lesson Bren. You get captured you do not talk!   
_

Caleb felt pain shoot through his entire body. His face twisted in pain, his mouth open in a scream but he was silent. The pain continued for a few more minutes before it subsided. The feeling of him there in his mind vanished. Someone walked into the room kneeling down, a bottle of water in hand. It was the drow. 

“Tilt your head back slightly,” he said. Caleb did, the man placed it to his lips and tipped it back, the cool refreshing water felt good. “Please let me help you,” he said. “I do not know what it is about you. But I am drawn to you,” he said. His eyes were a rich Indio color, these people were being kind to him. And he didn’t under why. He was the enemy.

”you feel better?”

caleb nodded


	2. Caleb: Souless

_Bren is young and he is smart, he is naive enough to believe he is untouchable which makes his decent into madness all the more hard. The bigger they are the harder they fall as the saying does. Through the shattered pieces of a 17 year old boy Caleb arises. Caleb is not naive. He knows what happens when you place yourself to high. When he returns to High priest Ikithon’s side he is like a glass vase that had been poorly put back together. He isn’t trusted. Kept in a short leash. He proves himself to be granted more freedom. But he still feels broken. Empty. He is missing pieces of himself he can’t explain. Pieces he some how knows Ikithon has. It doesn’t matter how neatly the patch in his mind is, he knows it’s there. Pieces that if he could get he knows would make him whole. _

Caleb sits in the interrogation room eyes closed, his fate already sealed. Though he does not understand why the Drow is so kind to him, why he brought him water. In Caleb’s eyes it only made it worse. Its cruel, this kindness. He hopes his death will be quick, he would rather die quickly in the hands of these people then of his own people. He knows exactly why would be done to him. The same thing done to the others who disobeyed, he would be pulled apart just so Trent could find where Caleb out the beacons. The door opens again and the drow, Essek, Caleb remembers the woman calling him Essek walks in. 

”my boss, says that if you talk to us then we will not execute you. Please help us,” he says. Caleb looks up at him. Essek removed the collar again. 

”Why are you being so kind to me?” 

”you are a person,” he said. ”you are worth saving,”

”no I am not,” he said. “My soul is already condemned,”

”how old are you?”

”25,” he said 

“that’s to young to believe that,” 

“I wish to help,” he said. “But I cannot speak again the high priest,”

”there is no way for him to know,” he says. He doesn’t know though, Caleb thinks. He doesn’t know what he does to them. To keep them in line, and the only reason why Caleb isn’t a mindless follower anymore is because he is broken. And Ikithon had spent five years piecing him back together. 

”he knows. He always knows. Even with in these walls,” Caleb says “he can still reach me,” 

“I don’t want to see you die. I am tired of the senseless death. Are you?” 

He is silent for a moment. “Yes,” he said.

”Is there any information you can give me?” He asks. Caleb thinks of his friend, the one he had fed information too. Because no matter how hard Ikithon tried to fix the mess he had created. He couldn’t make Caleb forget, so Caleb created a dark little corner in his mind that was the only place Ikithon couldn’t touch. 

”Find Kylre,” he said using the code name she had come up with. “she is a little goblin girl. Tell her that Lebby sent you,” he said, the code name she had given him. 

”is that your name?”

”it’s what she calls me sometimes,” he said. “She can help you where I cannot,” 

“you are friends with a goblin?” 

”yes,” he said. “You sound surprised,” 

”i hope you are not lying to me,” he said “and I’m sorry that I have to place the collar back on. And your people don’t like anyone who isn’t like them,”

“It’s fine,” he said. “I understand. If I was in your shoes I would do the same,” he said. the collar clicked back into place, Caleb watched him leave the room. He went back to thinking. The doors open again about an hour later, these are new people. A half orc and a purple skinned tiefling, with tattoos and piercings. Caleb looks up at them, he recognized them. They had fought him along with the fallen aashmir. 

”we are taking you to one of the permanent cells,” the half orc says. They unchain the chains that kept him chained to the floor. They pull him to his feet and Escort him to his cell. The two chat with each other. Paying no real attention to Caleb, the cell is small and dark, he deserves it. Even if he is trying to stop Ikithon. They lock him inside, and leave. Caleb sits down on the ground leaning against the wall. He hates the dark, not only is his vision shit but his mind creates images to fill the empty spaces. The fire and the screams, And the ghosts of people he had killed that haunt him. Caleb feels that cold presence again, he will never be use to it. And he had hoped that this cell would prevent him from being reached. But he is wrong. And once again, Ikithon is forcing his way into Caleb’s mind. 

_you didn’t tell them anything else did you bren?   
_

_of course not._   
  
_Good boy. you have one last mission. _

_What’s my mission?_

_become a martyr. Make sure your execution is public._

_Yes sir_

_Good, I’m glad we understand each other._

The cold presence leaves him. He is alone once again. He closes his eyes. He didn’t want to be Ikithon’s sacrificial lamb. He had no choice, not unless he got help to protect himself. To break the connection between his mind and Ikithon’s. Then he could finally be free and finally take down that man for good. 


	3. Essek: everyone is special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. Enjoy 😊

It takes Essek a few hours to track down the goblin girl. He is surprised to find Nott at the address, and he wonders if mr. red was trying to protect her somehow. Not from him but from someone else. 

“yes?” She asked “oh hey Essek what’s up?” She asked 

“is there a man you call Lebby sometimes?”

”yes,” she said. “He is a friend of mine. Why?”

”he said you could help were he could not. And I don’t want to see someone so young die,.

”I can,” she said. “Come on in and you can’t kill him,” she said. “He’s the informant,” she said “and like my son,” 

“wait....he’s the informant?” He said 

“yep,” she said. She handed Essek a note book. “He said if he was ever killed, to hand this over to my boss, but I’m not going to let him die,” she said. essek took it in his hands.

”Thank you,” he said. “Do you want to see him?” He asked “maybe you can talk to him,”

”of course,” she said. “Let’s go, I’ll meet you there,” she said 

“alright,” Essek left heading back. He walked up to Beau’s desk. “Nott knows the Scourger,” he said setting the journal on her desk. “He’s her informant and friend apparently,”

”wait....he’s Caleb?” She said 

“Caleb?”

”yeah Nott talked about her friend Caleb a few times,” she said “we all started to wonder if he was real or not,”

”his name is Caleb,” the name seemed to fit perfectly to the mystery man “If he’s our informant we can actually get him out,”

”yeah but why not tell us right away?” 

”he’s being watched,” Essek said, 

“He’s what?” 

”he must have a connection with Ikithon, and so he might be able to know if Caleb’s betrayed him,”

”then how did he get around giving Nott information?”

”a spell,” Nott said she hoisted herself onto Beau’s desk, “this amulet he had,” she said “and he does have a connection. They all do, it’s how they receive orders and he can still hurt them. He explained it,” 

“he didn’t have one on him when we captured him,” Beau said.

”they figured it out. Or he hid it,” she said. “Now take me to see him,” she said. 

”Director Vysoren had Fjord and Molly put him in the cells,” Beau said. 

”then let’s go see him,” Nott said “now,” beau stood up she walked up with them to the cells, she opened the door. Caleb looked up at them. Nott rushed forward and hugged him. His eyes lit up when he saw her. A smile. 

“alright,” Beau said “we know you’ve been helping Nott. So once we go to the director, we can get you free,” 

caleb looked away. 

”what?” Nott asked “what is it?”

He looked at her. Essek wasn’t to sure what she saw but it made her ears droop down.

”oh,” she said “fuck,”

”what?” Essek asked 

“We have to fake his death,” she said. “We have to, make them think he is dead,” 

“That we can do,” Beau said

”and then we break the connection between him and Ikithon,” Essek said “I can do that,” he said. “It will take awhile to do that. But it can be done,” 

caleb looked up at Essek, and Essek could see hope in his eyes. Hope that this whole entire cult could be brought down. 

”can we take the collar off so he can talk to us?” Nott asked 

“not right now,” Beau said. “First we have to show the journal to Allura and then we can help him,” 

“okay,” Nott said “well let’s go talk to her,” she said. 

”you go on ahead, I will work to break Caleb’s connection,” 

Essek found it harder than he originally thought to break Caleb’s connection. Ikithon’s grip was much much stronger then Essek thought. An intricate web weaved through out his entire mind. Essek had seen mind control before, not to this extent. He had to stop an hour in because he was hurting Caleb. He was experienced yes. But this wasn’t his specialty. Allura walked into the room with Nott and Beau. 

”You’re Nott’s friend,” allura said kneeling down, removing the collar. “The one who has been helping us,” she said. “I have to thank you for the help you’ve given. We need you to tell us where they are,”

”I can’t. Not while he is still in my head, there is one place in my mind he cannot reach, once I have. No connection to him I can tell you where the beacon is,”

”Allura,” Essek said “I’ve never seen a connection this strong before,” he said. “If I go any further,” he says “I will only do further damage,” 

“I have a friend I’m going to call,” allura said standing up. “She can help,” She calls her friend. While they wait Allura and Caleb talk. They come to an agreement. Pike walked into the cell, like always her presence was a light, and she looked like an angel. She walked over to Caleb and placed her hands on his face. One hand touched her holy symbol. Essek could see the weight lift off him. The freedom of his own mind. 

”you will start helping us tomorrow,” allura said. “Rest up,” they left the cell. 

______

The next few days consisted of a lot of work, looking at maps and doing the research. Caleb has cleaned up a lot, and there are these little things, ticks that he does that remind Essek so much of Aldor. They haven’t talked much outside of a few technical things. Essek finally decides to break the silence. Nott has been trying to build a case as to why they shouldn’t just lock Caleb away after all this is said and done. Because she said he deserved a second chance, almost everyone who was here was here because of a second chance. Why was he any different? 

”Nott is fighting for you to be freed,”

“she shouldn’t be,” he said. 

”why not?”

” I don’t deserve it,” 

“you’re helping us. You want to change don’t you?” 

“I’m helping so that I won’t be executed. But I’ll still be rotting in a jail cell,” he said. “That’s the deal,” he said. “And it’s what I deserve,” 

”you don’t deserve it,” he said. “You were a kid when you were pulled in. Manipulated.”

”not an excuse,” Caleb said “I knew full well what I was doing. I thought I was special. I thought that because I was that what I did was ok,” 

“did you?” Essek asked. “Becasue from my understanding of humans. Children and teenagers they tend to think they’re unto untouchable. They’re impulsive,” he said “but you are special. Everyone is. They’re special in their own way,” 

“I should be held accountable for my actions,” he said. “And why I am so willing to help is because I want to make sure what happened to me stops. That it won’t continue. I can’t save myself. But maybe I can save others,” he said. Essek grew quiet, he hadn’t heard those words in a long time. _I can’t safe myself. But maybe I can save others. _

“Umm I’ll be right back I need some air,” he said leaving the library. How...why was it that Caleb reminded him so much of his husband? It was impossible. The beacon was lost, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

”you ok my friend?” Cad said. 

”I just....there are things that he does that remind me of _him_,” 

“you miss him,” 

“yes and it’s been 25 years but it still hurts,” 

“grief doesn’t have an expiration date,” 

“I just...”

”give yourself the time and space you need,” 

“Thank you,” he said. Essek spent a few more minutes outside before he returned. Caleb is still doing research, he disappears down one of the isles. Essek hears a thud, he gets up and rushes over. Fjord is already there kneeling beside an unconscious Caleb. 

”he’s still breathing,” he said. Caleb had a book in his hand. It’s an old journal, Essek picks it up. 

“we should get him to Jester,” fjord says. 

”he had no reason to pick this journal,” Essek said. 

”what is it dangerous?”

”no, but it’s just...”

”your husband’s?”

”yes,” he said Caleb’s eyes fluttered open and for a brief moment Essek swore he saw Caleb look at him with familiarity but it vanished. He sat up. 

”you alright?”

”fine,” he said “just....I umm the first beacon is in my home town,” he said. 

”then I guess that’s where we are going,” Essek said helping him to his feet. 


	4. Caleb: you haven’t earned the right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning ⚠️: fantasy racism

_Caleb opens his eyes to see Ikithon 25 years younger but he still looks like an old man. Just not old as he had been when he had met him as a child._

_”you really dont have to make this so hard on yourself,” he says. “Tell me how to activate the beacon,” _

_“no,” he said. His voice was different, the accent was different. “You are unworthy to learn that secret,”_

_”humans deserve to know this secret to immortality,”_

_”it is not about who deserves what,” he said “it is apart of us. Apart of who we are. A gift to our people,” he said. “It’s been around for so long. Many of us have lived for so long,” _

_“Tell me before I torture it out of you crick!” _

_”You don’t deserve to know,” he said “you haven’t earned the right,”_

_“you are infuriating,” _

_“I know. But I have an entire life time on you,” he said. The chains came undone and he whipped them around Ikithon’s neck, and pulled him close. “So long as I live. You won’t get the secrets,” he threw him back into the wall and then pulled the door open and ran, he grabbed the beacon and made his way to freedom. He found himself in a small town not to far from the place he was being held captive. He had to hide the beacon. He saw a tree that sat in the middle of town, it had a hole in the trunk, a cavity. Big enough to place the beacon inside. He placed it inside. The beacon dropped down a bit further out of reach. He put his hand to the tree. _

_”my friend please protect the beacon from them,” He turned around to face his captors.   
_

Caleb opened his eyes to see Essek and Fjord kneeling next to him. He sat up, he felt like he knew Essek. But he couldn’t know him. 

”you alright?”

”fine,” he said “just....I umm the first beacon is in my home town,” he said. 

”then I guess that’s where we are going,” Essek said helping him to his feet. 

”how did you figure it out?”

”There’s this tree,” he said. “I just remembered hearing the rumors growing up. Of that tree. They said you could hear whispers of the dead,” 

“I see,” fjord said. “Should we take him to Jessie?”

”it’s up to him,” Essek said 

“I’m fine,” Caleb said. 

”you collapsed on the ground and where unconscious,” fjord said “you...what? No you’re going to see jester,” he said. 

”I swear I’m fine,” They ended up making a trip to visit jester and pike. Essek knocked on the door. Jester opened it up. 

”hi guys,” she said “what’s up?”

”caleb collapsed,” Essek said. 

”oh that’s not good,”

”we don’t know why,” Pike did an examination on him. Everything was fine. He seemed fine. But Pike couldn’t help but feel as though he was keeping something to himself. After he was cleared she was taken back to his cell. They where going to his hometown tomorrow. Caleb closed his eyes he was tired and he dreamed again. He dreamed of things he knows he didn’t experience. 

_Caleb looks in the mirror only he isn’t himself. He’s a child. And the pair of eyes looking back at him aren’t blue, there isn’t a face full of freckles or the fiery red hair he got from his mother. Instead a drow is staring back at him. He knows this is his memory but at the same time it doesn’t feel like his. He can’t explain it, he doesn’t fully understand it. The door behind him opens and someone steps through. Essek he comes over and rests his hands on Caleb...not Caleb’s shoulders.  
_

_”Aldor?” Essek says softly “are you alright?”_

_”Tired my love,” he said. “I’ve had a long day. We all have. The beacons. The Cerberus Assembly,” _

_“it will be ok,” <strike>Caleb</strike>_ _Aldor turns to face Essek. He puts a hand to Essek’s face._

_”yes. It will,” he says kissing Essek. _

Caleb wakes up to his cell door opening. He sees Fjord there. 

”come on let’s go,” he said. Caleb gets ready. He hasn’t been back in well a long time. He follows Fjord out they meet up with Essek and Beau. Their choice of transportation is teleportation Essek draws the circle and does the ritual and they are outside the small town Caleb grew up in. Caleb can still see the remains of his childhood home. They make their way to the town. The group that goes is no one for much talk. If Jester or Molly had been apart of this group there would be more talking. They’re greeted by some of the people who live there, and of course given the odd looks. Because well two of their party are not human. 

”where is the beacon hidden?” Essek asked Caleb 

“a tree in the center of town,” he says. Caleb hasn’t been back here since he burned down the house. There are children running about, and even playing in the tree when they arrive. 

”Leofric?” A voice says an older man approaches them carefully. Caleb knows him, he was a friend of his father. “Leofric Ermendrud?” 

”nein,” Caleb says. 

”Bren?” He says. “Du siehst deinem Vater so ähnlich,”

”what is he saying?” Fjord asks

”he is saying I look like my father,” Caleb says. 

”you very much do,” the man says. His accent is much thicker than Caleb’s. “Do you know what happened to them? I’m so sorry we couldn’t...we couldn’t get there in time,” 

“I received word,” Caleb said. It feels like acid in his throat. Those words. 

”what brings you back?”

”The Krynn have a beacon here. We believe,” Caleb said. “Hidden in the Baum der Seelen,” he said. 

”Baum der Seelen is a child’s story,” the man says 

“When did it start?” Essek asked “the story?”

”hmmm maybe 25 years ago,” 

“and you call it the tree of souls,” Essek said. “Why?”

”kids say they here things there. Whispers of people, it started happening after a drow man came here,” he said. “Some people say that the tree is cursed after what the Assembly did,” he said. “Shooting an unarmed man. He may not have been one of us, but to take an innocent life,” he said. “A shame,” 

“The beacon must be there,” Essek said. 

”it’s there,” Caleb said. “What else can you tell us about that day

”Your father and I helped run those no good Cerberus Arschloch! They come in here and take our children!” 

”my father was there that day?” Caleb said. “He didn’t come into town unless he was sell crops,”

”yes,” he said. “You were born that day,” he said. “That’s why your parents were in town. Your mother was at the clinic,”

”we should get going to the tree,” Beau said. 

”please be careful with it,” the man said. “It’s a very important tree to us even if some think it’s cursed,” 

“we will,” Essek said. “Do not worry,” they continue on their way to center of town. The tree was massive. It was beautiful and old. And there were kids playing in it. Caleb walked up to it. He smiled remembering the fun he had in that tree. It’s where he and Astrid had kissed for the first time. He goes up to the tree putting his hand on the center of the tree. He could hear the voices.


	5. Leylas: pieces

Leylas is meditating when there is a soft knock at her door, she opens her eyes.

”who is it?” She asks.

”it’s Caleb. I hope I am not disrupting you,” he said. 

”of course not,” she said stating up she goes to the door and opens it. 

”I have some questions,” he said “about the beacon,”

”oh?” She lets him in. 

”how does it work exactly?” 

”what do you mean?”

”with souls,” he said “being reincarnated,”

”From what we know if you die with in the radius of the beacon your soul will reside there. And when new life is brought into this world a soul will be reincarnated. We find those who are consecuted do not regain memories of their old life until adolescence,” she said. “They come in forms of daydreams and dreams why do you ask?” She asks

”I have been having dreams,” he said “memories that feel like mine. But are not mine,” he said. ”but they had only started since I arrived here,” 

“Tell me about these dreams,” she says. And he does. Leylas can sense his honesty. He isn’t lying to her. He isn’t lying to her, but she herself doesn’t understand why it is happening now. Instead of as a child. She knows he must be all the children for the past 25 years born in Blumenthal because the beacon has been there sitting and releasing souls as it is suppose too. 

”I do not understand it much myself,”

”did this start when you were healed?” She asked.

”Ja,” he said “it did,”

”it’s possible that someone might have figured it out and they blocked those memories,”

”in one of my dreams,” Caleb says. “I was with someone,”

”oh?” Leylas says 

“Herr Essek,” he said. “He called me Aldor,” he said. Leylas can see it now, and she doesn’t know why she didn’t see it before. It’s him. She knows it’s him. Aldor has been a close friend of hers, and of Quana her wife. “We kissed in my dream. Or I guess....rather memory,” She nods. 

”I can help you,” she said “if you would like, restore yourself. I am certain you have felt for a long time. Since someone put that block in your mind, that there have been pieces missing,”

”Danke,” he says. “That would be most helpful,”

”come here tomorrow when you are done with research regarding the next beacon,” he nods, and leaves. Leylas wonders what she will tell Essek. She wonders if he has already put the pieces together.


End file.
